The sun-dried seed pod of a type of climbing orchid, vanilla has an inimitable soft, sweet…

chocolate sprinkles, to serve

For the chocolate ganache

100g dark chocolate, broken into pieces

5 tbsp double cream

Method

Grease a 22cm silicone microwaveable cake pan with a little oil and place a circle of baking parchment in the bottom.

Mix sugar, flour, cocoa and baking powder in a bowl. In a jug, whisk the oil, eggs, vanilla and 100ml hot water until combined.

Add liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly until you have a lump-free batter. Pour mixture into the cake pan and gently tap to pop any air bubbles. Cover with cling film.

Microwave on Full power (800 watts) for 7 mins. Remove and check if the cake is cooked by poking a skewer into the middle: if it comes out clean it is ready. Allow cake to stand for 5 mins, then remove cling film and turn out onto a cooling rack.

For the ganache, melt the chocolate on Half power (600 watts) for approximately 2 mins, stirring every 30 secs until melted. Add the cream and mix thoroughly until smooth and glossy.

Once the cake is cool, spread over the ganache and scatter with the sprinkles. The cake will keep for up to 3 days in an airtight container.

Read all the comment and was a little worried but made it anyway. Only cooked it for 5 minutes and it came out really well. The centre seemed a little undercooked but by the time I had made the granach it was absolutely fine. I made the topping with milk and dark chocolate and added a couple of dessert spoons of half fat creme fraiche and a few drops of vanilla and it was delicious. Still good the next day and it's not dry at all, and it's very light.

worst chocolate cake recipe ever. was a complete waste of all ingredients ! would not at all recommend. dry with excess baking powder component. was just not edible. have made better cakes in the past. highly disappointed.

I made it with self-raising flour instead of baking powder, and only 70g of sugar as I was using hot chocolate powder. (And I get heart burn) and maybe you cooked it wrong, I say mess around with the recipe until you get it write. (Sorry about spelling!)

I have made this microwave chocolate several times and like a few of them the 1st one was not good, too dry like everyone says. But I readjusted the recipe and added more flavour. I also used light brown sugar and muscavado sugar and think the latter is better. I also add a little extra flavouring and I made it for a special occasion and added a spoon of brandy which really brought out the flavour. I also only cook it for 5 mins not 7 as 7 is far too long and overcooks it. I also cook it in silicone baking dish and use another instead of cling film to cover, that way it comes out neater. Be sure to spray the dish well. I use cooking oil spray and line it with parchment paper. I use a bar of 70% dark chocolate mixed with the double cream to coat as I find it gives it a rich flavoured topping. Its a big hit with everyone that's tried it.

I've used other microwave cake recipes and have been happy with all of them, but chose to use this one instead because many recipes are cake-in-a-cup and I get tired of scaling them up to a larger size for more than one person.This was revolting. It was dry in the centre and uncooked around the edges, tough like polystyrene in places and sugary without being chocolatey. After cooking half (reducing the cooking time accordingly) and tasting it, I added an additional 1.5T each of cocoa and oil, which improved it a little, but I wouldn't bother with this recipe again.

I made this cake yesterday but firgot to buy sunfliwer oil. I used rapeseed oil instead wich I found worked just as well but only needed six minutes in the microwave. It was a little dry and so instead of the ganash suggested I used chocolate butter cream which made it less dry. Overall it is a good recipe but if I do it again I would tweak it a little.

This worked very well, just really enjoyed it for afternoon tea! My microwave is Category E that is 1000W so I cooked it for just 6 min in a Pyrex/pyroflam round dishIF you found your CAKE TOO DRY cook at lower power or shorter time. It may not look cooked but after standing the top dries off.

just loved the cake... thank u for this wonderful recipe.. i made it in my 1st anniversary and everyone said it was fabulous... :)bt i faced a problem .. the up layer of my cake was very hard bt the sides and inside it was soft...

To everyone asking how to make it less dry - usually with micro cake you can add a splash of milk to sort that out. Or cook for slightly less time. Or both. Never tried this particular recipe though, but it's worked with others!Or add moisture with a choc sauce - chuck 2 tbsp cocoa, 2 tbsp milk, 4 tbsp butter and 1/2 cup of sugar in a pan and let it dissolve and then bubble for a couple of mins to make a glossy sauce and pour that over the cake instead of the ganache. It'll set a bit to make a thick choccy layer. Looks dark and smooth and shiny, and it's easier than a ganache I think!

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Questions (11)

loombandmaker1025th Mar, 2016

If I add a cup of Earl-Grey tea, and take away the cocoa powder, will I have an Earl-Grey tea cake? Please help, I need this for a birthday! And I only have my microwave, I can't use my oven, so I need to use this recipe,Thanks,Loombandmaker10

Yes, although we haven’t tested this using tea so cannot guarantee perfect results we think that it should work, if you use 100ml of tea and add 3 tbsp flour to replace the cocoa. The flavour might be a little lacking so you could add some spice or grated orange zest. Let us know how you get on.

I want to double the quantity as I am Making this cake for a friends farewell do. I have made it several times cooking for 6mins then testing. comes out good every time, and have kept it sometimes for several days without it drying out. If I double the ingredient quantity how long should I cook it for please? my microwave is 800w.

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